Ensure that the transmission is completed on the wireless network

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to ensuring that transmissions are completed in a wireless network. A method is provided, comprising: determining that interference may occur in a wireless network to which a device is connected; obtaining a first link of a first type; obtaining a second link of a second type; determining data that may be transmitted from the device to another device connected to the wireless network; determining that a transmission occurs in the first link; and transmitting the data in the second link, wherein the transmission in the first link has a longer duration than the data transmission in the second link, and the transmission in the first link overlaps in time with the data transmission in the second link.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The following exemplary embodiments relate to wireless communications and performing transmissions in wireless networks. Background Art

[0002] Wireless communication networks allow devices such as terminal devices to connect to the network and send and receive data wirelessly even when the terminal device is moving. Devices may also have multi-link capabilities that allow the device to connect to multiple channels and / or frequency bands simultaneously. Wireless transmissions may be susceptible to interference, so it is desirable to ensure that interference does not prevent the successful transmission of data in a wireless network. Summary of the invention

[0003] The scope of protection sought by various embodiments of the present invention is set out by the independent claims. Exemplary embodiments and features described in this specification that do not fall within the scope of the independent claims should, if present, be interpreted as examples that help understand the various embodiments of the present invention.

[0004] According to another aspect, a device is provided, comprising components for determining that interference may occur in a wireless network to which the device is connected; obtaining a first link of a first type; obtaining a second link of a second type; determining data to be transmitted from the device to another device connected to the wireless network; determining that a transmission occurs in the first link; and transmitting the data in the second link, wherein the transmission in the first link has a longer duration than the transmission of the data in the second link, and the transmission in the first link overlaps in time with the transmission of the data in the second link.

[0005] According to another aspect, a device is provided, which includes at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the device to: determine that interference may occur in a wireless network to which the device is connected; obtain a first link of a first type; obtain a second link of a second type; determine data to be transmitted to another device connected to the wireless network; determine that a transmission occurs in the first link; and transmit the data in the second link, wherein the transmission in the first link has a longer duration than the transmission of the data in the second link, and the transmission in the first link overlaps in time with the transmission of the data in the second link.

[0006] According to another aspect, a method is provided, the method comprising: determining that interference may occur in a wireless network to which a device is connected; obtaining a first link of a first type; obtaining a second link of a second type; determining data to be transmitted from the device to another device connected to the wireless network; determining that transmission occurs in the first link; and transmitting the data in the second link, wherein the transmission in the first link has a longer duration than the transmission of the data in the second link, and the transmission in the first link overlaps in time with the transmission of the data in the second link.

[0007] According to another aspect, a computer program product is provided that is readable by a computer and, when executed by the computer, is configured to cause the computer to perform computer processing, the computer processing comprising: determining that interference may occur in a wireless network to which a device is connected; obtaining a first link of a first type; obtaining a second link of a second type; determining data that may be transmitted from the device to another device connected to the wireless network; determining that a transmission occurs in the first link; and transmitting the data in the second link, wherein the transmission in the first link has a longer duration than the transmission of the data in the second link, and the transmission in the first link overlaps in time with the transmission of the data in the second link.

[0008] According to another aspect, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium containing computer program code for use by a computer, the computer program code comprising code for performing the following operations: determining that interference may occur in a wireless network to which a device is connected; obtaining a first link of a first type; obtaining a second link of a second type; determining data that may be transmitted from the device to another device connected to the wireless network; determining that a transmission occurs in the first link; and transmitting the data in the second link, wherein the transmission in the first link has a longer duration than the transmission of the data in the second link, and the transmission in the first link overlaps in time with the transmission of the data in the second link.

[0009] According to another aspect, a computer program is provided, comprising: instructions for causing a device to perform at least the following operations: determine that interference may occur in a wireless network to which the device is connected; obtain a first link of a first type; obtain a second link of a second type; determine data that may be transmitted from the device to another device connected to the wireless network; determine that a transmission occurs in the first link; and transmit the data in the second link, wherein the transmission in the first link has a longer duration than the transmission of the data in the second link, and the transmission in the first link overlaps in time with the transmission of the data in the second link.

[0010] According to another aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, the computer-readable medium including program instructions for causing a device to perform at least the following operations: determine that interference may occur in a wireless network to which the device is connected; obtain a first link of a first type; obtain a second link of a second type; determine data that may be transmitted from the device to another device connected to the wireless network; determine that a transmission occurs in the first link; and transmit the data in the second link, wherein the transmission in the first link has a longer duration than the transmission of the data in the second link, and the transmission in the first link overlaps in time with the transmission of the data in the second link.

[0011] According to another aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, the non-transitory computer-readable medium including program instructions for causing a device to perform at least the following operations: determine that interference may occur in a wireless network to which the device is connected; obtain a first link of a first type; obtain a second link of a second type; determine data that may be transmitted from the device to another device connected to the wireless network; determine that a transmission occurs in the first link; and transmit the data in the second link, wherein the transmission in the first link has a longer duration than the transmission of the data in the second link, and the transmission in the first link overlaps in time with the transmission of the data in the second link. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to embodiments and accompanying drawings, in which

[0013] Figure 1 An exemplary embodiment of a radio access network is shown.

[0014] Figure 2 An exemplary embodiment of a protocol stack is shown.

[0015] Figure 3 A flow chart according to an exemplary embodiment is shown.

[0016] Figure 4 An exemplary embodiment of a use case involving a multi-link capable device is shown.

[0017] Figure 5 An exemplary embodiment is shown in which the presence of a reactive jammer is detected.

[0018] Figure 6 An exemplary embodiment regarding selection based on bandwidth aggregation opportunities is shown.

[0019] Figure 7 An exemplary embodiment is shown in which a reactive jammer has two radio transmitters with which it can operate.

[0020] Figure 8 An exemplary embodiment is shown that exploits a transmission that is already in progress.

[0021] Fig. 9 and Fig.10 An exemplary embodiment of an apparatus is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The following embodiments are exemplary. Although the specification may refer to "one", "an" or "some" embodiments in multiple places in the text, this does not necessarily mean that the same embodiment is mentioned each time, or that a particular feature only applies to a single embodiment. Individual features of different embodiments may also be combined to provide other embodiments.

[0023] As used in this application, the term "circuit" refers to all of the following: (a) pure hardware circuit implementations, such as implementations in analog and / or digital circuits only, and (b) combinations of circuits and software (and / or firmware), such as (as the case may be): a combination of (i) processors or (ii) portions of processors / software, including digital signal processors, software and memory, which work together to enable the device to perform various functions, and (c) circuits, such as microprocessors or portions of microprocessors, that require software or firmware to operate, even if the software or firmware is not physically present. This definition of "circuit" applies to all uses of the term in this application. As a further example, as used in this application, the term "circuit" will also cover implementations of only a processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a processor and its accompanying software and / or firmware. For example and if applicable to the particular element, the term "circuit" will also include a baseband integrated circuit or an application processor integrated circuit for a mobile phone or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device or other network device. The above-mentioned embodiments of circuits may also be viewed as providing embodiments of components for implementing embodiments of the methods or processes described herein.

[0024] The techniques and methods described herein can be implemented in various ways. For example, these techniques can be implemented in hardware (one or more devices), firmware (one or more devices), software (one or more modules), or a combination thereof. In terms of hardware implementation, the device of the embodiment can be implemented in one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), graphics processing units (GPUs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof. For firmware or software, the implementation can be performed by a module (e.g., a process, a function, etc.) of at least one chipset, which performs the functions described herein. The software code can be stored in a memory unit and executed by a processor. The memory unit can be implemented inside or outside the processor. In the latter case, it can be coupled to the processor in any suitable manner. In addition, the components of the system described herein can be rearranged and / or supplemented by additional components to facilitate the implementation of various aspects described herein, etc., and as will be understood by those skilled in the art, they are not limited to the precise configurations set forth in the given figures.

[0025] The embodiments described herein may be implemented in a communication system, for example in at least one of the following: a global system for mobile communications (GSM) or any other second generation cellular communication system, a universal mobile communication system (UMTS, 3G) based on basic wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA), a high speed packet access (HSPA), a long term evolution (LTE), a LTE-Advanced, a system based on the IEEE 802.11 specification, a system based on the IEEE 802.15 specification and / or a fifth generation (5G) mobile or cellular communication system. However, the embodiments are not limited to the systems given as examples, but those skilled in the art may apply the scheme to other communication systems having the necessary properties.

[0026] Figure 1 An example of a simplified system architecture is described, showing some elements and functional entities, all of which are logical units, the implementation of which may differ from what is shown. Figure 1 The connections shown are logical connections; the actual physical connections may be different. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the system may also include Figure 1 Other functions and structures than those shown. Figure 1 The example of FIG. 1 shows a portion of an exemplary radio access network.

[0027] Figure 1Terminal devices 100 and 102 are shown, which are configured to wirelessly connect to an access node (e.g., eNB / gNB) 104 providing the cell on one or more communication channels in the cell. Access node 104 may also be referred to as a node. The physical link from the terminal device to the eNB / gNB is called an uplink or reverse link, and the physical link from the eNB / gNB to the terminal device is called a downlink or forward link. It should be understood that the eNB / gNB or its functions may be implemented using any node, host, server, or access point, etc., that is suitable for such purpose. It should be noted that although one cell is discussed in this exemplary embodiment, for ease of illustration, in some exemplary embodiments, one access node may provide multiple cells.

[0028] The communication system may include more than one eNB / gNB, in which case the eNB / gNB may also be configured to communicate with each other via wired or wireless links designed for this purpose. These links can be used for signal transmission purposes. The eNB / gNB is a computing device configured to control the radio resources of the communication system to which it is coupled. The eNB / gNB may also be referred to as a base station, an access point, or any other type of interface connection device, including a relay station capable of operating in a wireless environment. The eNB / gNB includes a transceiver or is coupled to a transceiver. From the transceiver of the eNB / gNB, a connection is provided to an antenna unit, which establishes a bidirectional radio link to a user equipment. The antenna unit may include multiple antennas or antenna elements. The eNB / gNB is further connected to the core network 110 (CN or next generation core NGC). Depending on the system, the counterpart on the CN side may be a serving gateway (S-GW, routing and forwarding user data packets), a packet data network gateway (P-GW) for providing a connection between a terminal device and an external packet data network, or a mobile management entity (MME), etc.

[0029] A terminal device (also referred to as UE, user equipment, user terminal, user device, etc.) shows a type of apparatus to which resources on the air interface are allocated and assigned, and therefore any features described herein using a terminal device may be implemented using a corresponding apparatus (e.g., a relay node). An example of such a relay node is a layer 3 relay (self-backhaul relay) toward a base station. Another example of such a relay node is a layer 2 relay. Such a relay node may include a terminal device portion and a distributed unit (DU) portion. The CU (central unit) may coordinate DU operations, for example, via an F1AP interface.

[0030] A terminal device may refer to a portable computing device including a wireless mobile communication device that operates with or without a subscriber identity module (SIM) or embedded SIM, eSIM, including but not limited to the following types of devices: mobile stations (mobile phones), smart phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, devices using wireless modems (alarm or measurement devices), laptop computers and / or touch screen computers, tablet computers, game consoles, notebook computers, and multimedia devices. It should be understood that a user device may also be an exclusive or almost exclusive uplink-only device, an example of which is a camera or video camera that loads images or video clips to a network. A terminal device may also be a device capable of operating in an Internet of Things (IoT) network, in which objects are provided with the ability to transmit data over a network without human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. The terminal device may also utilize the cloud. In some applications, the terminal device may include a small portable device (e.g., a watch, headphones, or glasses) with a radio component, and the calculation is performed in the cloud. The terminal device (or, in some embodiments, a layer 3 relay node) is configured to perform one or more of the user device functionalities.

[0031] Various techniques described in this article can also be applied to cyber-physical systems (CPS) (systems that coordinate computing elements that control physical entities). CPS can enable the implementation and utilization of large numbers of interconnected ICT devices (sensors, actuators, processors microcontrollers, etc.) embedded in physical objects in different locations. Mobile cyber-physical systems are a subcategory of cyber-physical systems in which the physical systems involved are inherently mobile. Examples of mobile physical systems include electronic devices transported by people or animals and mobile robots.

[0032] Furthermore, although the apparatus is described as a single entity, different units, processors and / or memory units may be implemented ( Figure 1 Not all are shown).

[0033] 5G uses multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennas to implement many more base stations or nodes than LTE (the so-called small cell concept), including macro stations that operate in collaboration with smaller stations, and uses various radio technologies depending on service requirements, use cases and / or available frequencies. 5G mobile communications support a wide range of use cases and related applications, including video streaming, augmented reality, different ways of data sharing, and various forms of machine-type applications such as (massive) machine-type communications (mMTC), including vehicle safety, different sensors and real-time control. 5G is expected to have multiple radio interfaces, namely below 6GHz, cmWave and mmWave, and can also be integrated with existing traditional radio access technologies such as LTE. At least in the early stages, integration with LTE can be implemented as a system in which macro coverage is provided by LTE and 5G radio interface access comes from small cells by aggregation to LTE. In other words, 5G plans to support both inter-RAT operability (e.g., LTE-5G) and inter-RI operability (inter-radio interface operability, such as below 6GHz-cmWave, below 6GHz-cmWave-mmWave). One of the concepts that will be considered for use in 5G networks is network slicing, in which multiple independent and dedicated virtual subnetworks (network instances) can be created within the same infrastructure to run services with different requirements for latency, reliability, throughput, and mobility.

[0034] The current architecture in LTE networks is fully distributed in the radio and fully centralized in the core network. Low latency applications and services in 5G may require content to be close to the radio, which may lead to local outages and multi-access edge computing (MEC). 5G enables analysis and indication generation to occur at the source of the data. This approach requires the use of resources that may not be continuously connected to the network, such as laptops, smartphones, tablets, and sensors. MEC provides a distributed computing environment for application and service hosting. It also enables the storage and processing of content close to cellular users to speed up response time. Edge computing covers a wide range of technologies such as wireless sensor networks, mobile data acquisition, mobile signature analysis, collaborative distributed peer-to-peer ad hoc network connectivity and processing (also categorized as local cloud / fog computing and grid / grid computing), dew computing, mobile edge computing, cloudlets, distributed data storage and retrieval, autonomous self-healing networks, remote cloud services, augmented and virtual reality, data caching, Internet of Things (massive connectivity and / or latency critical), critical communications (autonomous vehicles, traffic safety, real-time analytics, time-critical control, healthcare applications).

[0035] The communication system may also be capable of communicating with other networks, such as the public switched telephone network or the Internet 112, and / or utilizing services provided by them. The communication network may also be capable of supporting the use of cloud services, for example, at least part of the core network operations may be performed as a cloud service (this is in the Figure 1 The communication system may also include a central control entity or the like, providing facilities for networks of different operators to collaborate, for example in spectrum sharing.

[0036] Edge cloud can be introduced into the radio access network (RAN) by utilizing network function virtualization (NFV) and software defined networking (SDN). Using edge cloud may mean performing access node operations at least partially in a server, host or node that is operably coupled to a remote radio head or base station including the radio part. It is also possible that the node operations will be distributed among multiple servers, nodes or hosts. The application of cloudRAN architecture enables RAN real-time functions to be performed at the RAN end (in the distributed unit DU 104), while non-real-time functions can be performed in a centralized manner (in the central unit CU 108).

[0037] It should also be understood that the labor distribution between core network operations and base station operations may be different from LTE or even non-existent. Some other technologies that may be used include big data and all-IP, which may change the way networks are built and managed. 5G (or New Radio NR) networks are designed to support multiple layers, where MEC servers can be placed between the core and base stations or Node B (gNB). It should be understood that MEC can also be applied to 4G networks.

[0038] 5G may also make use of satellite communications to enhance or supplement the coverage of 5G services, for example by providing backhaul. Possible use cases are to provide service continuity for machine-to-machine (M2M) or Internet of Things (IoT) devices or for passengers on board a vehicle, or to ensure service availability for critical communications and future rail / maritime / aeronautical communications. Satellite communications may make use of geosynchronous orbit (GEO) satellite systems as well as low earth orbit (LEO) satellite systems, in particular mega-constellations (systems with hundreds of (nano) satellites deployed). Each satellite 106 in a mega-constellation may cover several satellite-enabled network entities creating a terrestrial cell. A terrestrial cell may be created by a terrestrial relay node 104 or a gNB located on the ground or in a satellite.

[0039] It should be noted that the described system is an example of a part of a radio access system, and the system may include multiple eNBs / gNBs, a terminal device may access multiple radio cells, and the system may also include other devices, such as physical layer relay nodes or other network elements. At least one of the eNBs / gNBs may be a home eNB / gNB. In addition, in the geographical area of ​​the radio communication system, a plurality of different kinds of radio cells as well as a plurality of radio cells may be provided. Radio cells may be macro cells (or umbrella cells), which are large cells, typically having a diameter of up to tens of kilometers, or smaller cells, such as micro cells, femto cells or pico cells. Figure 1 The eNB / gNB can provide any type of these cells. The cellular radio system can be implemented as a multi-layer network including several types of cells. In some exemplary embodiments, in a multi-layer network, one access node provides one or more cells of one type, so multiple eNB / gNBs are required to provide this network structure.

[0040] In order to meet the needs of improving the deployment and performance of communication systems, the concept of "plug-and-play" eNB / gNB is introduced. In addition to home eNB / gNB (HeNB / gNB), networks that can use "plug-and-play" eNB / gNB can include home node B gateway or HNB-GW ( Figure 1 (not shown). An HNB gateway (HNB-GW) that can be installed in an operator's network can aggregate services from a large number of HNBs back to the core network.

[0041] Point-to-multipoint (PTM) transmission can be understood as a transmission in which an access node transmits the same transmission to multiple terminal devices. Multicast and broadcast can be understood as examples of PTM. In Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A), for example, in enhanced multimedia broadcast multicast service (eMBMS), PTM transmission can be performed using one cell, in other words, using single cell PTM (SC-PTM), or PTM transmission can be performed using MBMS (MBSFN) transmission on a single frequency network, which utilizes multiple cells, in other words, using multi-cell PTM (MC-PTM). SC-PTM can use radio access parameters for unicast and share the same channel, while MBSFN can use separate radio access parameters and channels. For 5G, single-cell and multi-cell PTM transmissions can be supported on a public radio access framework with 5G New Radio NR. This functionality can be referred to as hybrid mode broadcasting.

[0042] Since cells adjacent to each other transmit the same transmission in a multi-cell transmission, it may not be necessary to use inter-cell interference control measures to avoid interference that may occur near the cell edge. Since adjacent cells are used to transmit the same transmission, inter-cell interference can be reduced, or in some exemplary embodiments, a constructive interface can even be achieved.

[0043] A transmission area may be understood as an area where services are provided using one or more PTM transmissions. A transmission area may be dynamically configured with various PTM transmissions within the transmission area, such as SC-PTM and / or MC-PTM. Therefore, if a service requires the transmission of data, this may be achieved using various independent SC-PTM and / or MC-PTM transmission schemes. The transmission scheme used may use an optimized network setup based at least in part on, for example, the distribution of terminal devices within the transmission area. For example, a cell with a high concentration of terminal devices near the cell edge may utilize MC-PTM, and if a cell has a high concentration of terminal devices near the cell center, SC-PTM may be utilized.

[0044] If SC-PTM and / or MC-PTM transmissions are independent transmissions, they can use their own optimized network settings, such as an optimized modulation and coding scheme MCS and optimized radio resource scheduling, taking into account factors such as cell load and multiplexing with other services. Therefore, in some exemplary embodiments, the transmission progress between independent SC-PTM transmissions and / or MC-PTM transmissions may be different. For example, if there is a burst in the transmission, the progress difference between independent transmissions may be quite large. If in this exemplary embodiment, the terminal device receiving the transmission is located near the edge of the cell and will move across the cell boundary, it is beneficial to avoid performing a handover or cell reselection between adjacent cells, where the transmission progress of the independent PTM transmission is not synchronized, which may cause the terminal device to experience interference in the transmission it receives, such as packet loss. It should be noted that both handover and cell reselection can be referred to as mobility. Therefore, the terminal device can perform mobility at the cell boundary of the independent PTM transmission. If the independent PTM transmission is asynchronous, packet loss may occur.

[0045] In addition to cellular communication networks, other types of networks can also be used for wireless communication. For example, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth provide wireless communication for devices. Wi-Fi can be understood as a set of wireless network connection technologies based on the IEEE 802.11 standard, which can be used for local area network connection and Internet access of devices. Wi-Fi uses the IEEE 802 protocol family, and devices using Wi-Fi-based wireless communication use wireless access points. Different versions of Wi-Fi are specified by different IEEE 802.11 protocol standards, where different radio technologies determine the radio frequency bands that can be achieved and the maximum range and speed.

[0046] It is currently expected that the requirements for reliable and fast wireless data transmission will increase. The requirements for reliable data transmission also increase due to the increased use of augmented and virtual reality enhanced applications, for example. In addition, Industry 4.0 also increases the need for fast and reliable data transmission. Industry 4.0 can be understood as the use of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies and processes, such as cyber-physical systems, the Internet of Things, the Industrial Internet of Things, cloud computing, cognitive computing and artificial intelligence. For example, Industry 4.0 can include smart factory concepts, where there may be modular structured smart factories and cyber-physical systems for monitoring physical processes, creating virtual copies of the physical world and making decentralized decisions. Through the Internet of Things, cyber-physical systems can communicate and collaborate with each other and with people in real time between organizational services provided and used internally and across parties. Therefore, it is obvious that the concepts related to Industry 4.0 include strict reliability and availability requirements for data transmission that can be carried out using wireless networks. For example, in the context of 5G, such requirements are met by setting up the URLLC category. URLLC is intended to support use cases for delay-sensitive services, such as autonomous driving, remote control, factory automation and vehicle-to-vehicle communication. URLLC will support low-latency transmission of small payloads with high reliability requirements.

[0047] Certain use cases, such as those included in Industry 4.0, may operate on unlicensed frequency bands. For example, to enable high-speed broadband communications, short wavelength frequencies may be used. Examples of such frequencies include millimeter waves and other frequency bands, such as the 5 GHz unlicensed band.

[0048] In unlicensed spectrum, devices can use the spectrum without a license, but are still subject to technical requirements associated with the spectrum. Unlicensed spectrum can be considered a shared medium, and devices using unlicensed spectrum may experience interference. Examples of technologies operating in unlicensed spectrum include Wi-Fi and unlicensed 5G, 5G NR-U.

[0049] Since reliability and latency (in terms of low latency) are high, interference should be minimized. Interference can be caused intentionally or unintentionally. As an example of intentional interference, there are devices used for the purpose of interfering with transmissions. Such devices may be called network jammers or jammers. Jammers may interfere with the purpose of performing a "denial of service" attack. Some jammers may be reactive jammers. Reactive jammers are able to sense the channel and generate interference when transmissions are observed. Such jammers may be very dynamic and therefore difficult to detect. Furthermore, if such a reactive jammer is deployed outside a smart factory, for example, it may block critical transmissions, which may cause significant damage to the factory by affecting production and safety, resulting in potentially significant economic losses.

[0050] In order to solve the above-mentioned interference problem, various techniques can be used. For example, transmission redundancy utilizing transmission packet copies on multiple wireless links can be used, and the transmission redundancy can be combined at the receiver, thereby increasing the possibility of successful reception. If the number of copies (i.e., the number of links used for transmission) is greater than the number of links that the jammer can interfere with at the same time, this may be beneficial. However, in some examples, a reactive jammer may be able to jump from a link where the transmission has ended to another link where the transmission is still ongoing, thereby preventing the successful reception of at least a complete packet in all links transmitted through the link. However, if it is known where the interference behavior of the jammer is concentrated, this knowledge can be utilized by attracting the jammer to a specific one or more links. If the jammer is attracted to a specific one or more links, other links may not be subject to the interference caused by the jammer, and a safer transmission of one or more data packets can be achieved. For example, this may be beneficial in URLLC communications in unlicensed spectrum, where the conditions and fluctuations of the wireless channel and the channel access competition rules may play a role between satisfying the delay and reliability constraints of the packet.

[0051] In some other examples, multi-link hopping can be used to prevent interference caused by jammers. In multi-link hopping, if the presence of a jammer is detected, the transmission can be retried on another link. Therefore, multi-link hopping provides a limited time window for safe transmission before the reactive jammer detects the new transmission and causes interference on the new link.

[0052] Wireless networks, such as 5G NR-U (a version of 5G NR that operates in an unlicensed spectrum, also referred to as 5G-U) and Wi-Fi, can utilize a multi-link feature that allows multiple frequency bands to be used simultaneously for the transmission of data. The data may include one or more data packets to be transmitted from one device to another using a wireless network. A link can be understood as a channel in a single or multiple frequency bands. The benefit of utilizing the multi-link feature is that peak throughput may increase when multiple channels or links are used simultaneously. Another benefit of utilizing the multi-link feature is that since devices can compete on multiple channels or links simultaneously and select the first channel available for data transmission, channel access delays that may be associated with operation in an unlicensed spectrum can be reduced.

[0053] Figure 2 An exemplary embodiment of a protocol stack that can be used to implement a multi-link feature in an IEEE 802.11 based wireless network is shown. The multi-link feature allows a device to dynamically operate on several channels and / or frequency bands. Therefore, an apparatus compatible with the multi-link feature can operate in a multi-link mode. In this exemplary embodiment, two links, links 250 and 260, can be used simultaneously. It will be appreciated that the first link and the second link are part of the multi-link operation. Layer 210 illustrates an upper MAC (U-MAC) layer or a basic service set (BSS) layer. The next layer 220 is a lower MAC (L-MAC) layer. From Figure 2 As can be seen, link 250 and link 260 each have an L-MAC layer. The next layer 230 is the physical layer PHY. Similarly, link 250 and link 260 each have a PHY layer. Next, at layer 240, there are multiple frequency bands within the frequency range of links 250 and 260. For each link, there may be a primary frequency band P and one or more secondary frequency bands S. In this exemplary embodiment, link 250 is a 40 MHz link operating at a 2.4 GHz carrier frequency, and link 260 is an 80 MHz link operating at a 5 GHz carrier frequency. If data is to be transmitted, the data packets contained in the data may be transmitted over any frequency band or link in the unlicensed spectrum, provided that the channel to be used is determined to be idle. By using a so-called listen-before-talk (LBT) process, it may be determined that the channel is idle.

[0054] Although the reactive jammer may be able to transmit interference through multiple channels or links after detecting the transmission, its radio frequency chain may be limited. This may cause the reactive jammer to be unable to generate interference on all possible available channels or links, such as in an unlicensed spectrum. For example, the jammer can interfere with up to 6 / 8 frequencies at the same time. The jammer may also be able to interfere with both licensed and unlicensed frequencies. For example, the jammer can generate an interference shield between 100MHz and 400MHz. In some exemplary embodiments, the larger the shield, the lower the interference power that can be applied, so that as the transmit power required for the larger shield is amplified, the interference range may cause the size of the jammer and its cooling system to increase, thereby increasing the possibility of visual detection of the jammer. Therefore, the jammer may not be able to interfere with the entire bandwidth existing at 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz at the same time. Therefore, the multi-link feature can be used for wireless network communications to prevent interference caused by a jammer (which may be a reactive jammer).

[0055] Figure 3 A flow chart according to an exemplary embodiment is shown. First, at S1, it is determined that interference may occur. This may be due to the detection of the presence of a jammer (e.g., a reactive jammer) or as a precaution. In addition, in this exemplary embodiment, a multi-link feature is available. Next, at S2, a first link of a first type is obtained. This can be achieved, for example, by creating a link by a device that needs a link to transmit data to another device. In this exemplary embodiment, the first link type is an expected blocking link. At S3, a second link of a second type is obtained. This can also be achieved by creating a link by a device that needs a link to transmit data to another device. In this exemplary embodiment, the second link type is a non-blocking link. Next, at S4, data for transmission is determined, which may include acquiring data. Then in S5, data is transmitted in a first link to which a low modulation and coding scheme MCS is applied. Low MCS can be understood as a first link having a data rate lower than the MCS of the second link. Next, at S6, data is transmitted in the second link. As described in S6, the transmission in the first link has a longer duration than the transmission in the second link, and these transmissions overlap in time.

[0056] In some exemplary embodiments, the transmission in the non-blocking link completely overlaps in time with the transmission in the expected blocking link. The goal of the non-blocking link is to ensure that data packets are received from another device as expected. The device that obtains the first link and the second link can determine, for example, which frequency resources are used and when the transmission occurs when the first link and the second link are obtained. The goal of the expected blocking link can be to attract one or more reactive jammers. It should be noted that in addition to the expected blocking link, there may also be other expected blocking links, in other words, there may be multiple expected blocking links. In some alternative exemplary embodiments, the expected blocking link can be implemented by other devices other than the device that needs to transmit data. In other words, obtaining the first link may include using the transmission of other devices as the basis for the expected blocking link, and obtaining the second link accordingly.

[0057] Transmissions in the expected blocked link can be made using the MCS to get a better chance of decoding while increasing the duration of the transmission itself, thereby keeping the channel busy. If a jammer periodically senses the wireless medium for data transmission, the jammer can be attracted to the first link while creating a sufficiently long protection window for the transmission of critical data packets contained in the data to be transmitted on the second link.

[0058] Figure 4 An exemplary embodiment of a use case of an 802.11 compliant device as an access point and another device with multi-link capability and ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) service is shown. In this exemplary embodiment, the links can be interpreted as channels of a single or multiple 20 MHz frequency bands that add up to 160 MHz, such as Figure 4 In this exemplary embodiment, the access point and the device operate in multiple links located in different frequency bands (e.g., 2.4 GHz, low-5 GHz, high-5 GHz, or 6 GHz). Figure 4 As shown, 555 MHz is divided into multiple channels, which can be a large number of channels, each channel is 20 MHz, and these channels can be aggregated to form channels up to 160 MHz.

[0059] Figure 5An exemplary embodiment in which the presence of a reactive jammer is detected is shown. In this exemplary embodiment, the reactive jammer operates in the case of transmitting an operating radio. A device compatible with the multi-link feature, i.e., device 510, will transmit data. Device 510 detects the presence of the reactive jammer. The presence can be detected using any suitable means. The data will be transmitted to device 520, which is also compatible with the multi-link feature. After detecting the presence of the reactive jammer, device 510 postpones channel access. In other words, device 510 determines that interference may occur. Therefore, device 510 obtains a first link of a first type and a second link of a second type. In this exemplary embodiment, the first link is link 502 which is an expected blocked link, and in this exemplary embodiment, the second link is link 504 which is a non-blocked link. It should be noted that in some exemplary embodiments, multiple links of the first type and / or the second type can be obtained. The device also postpones the transmission of the data determined to be data to be transmitted. Then the duration of data transmission when applying the minimum MCS is determined. Then the duration T1 is determined such that T1 corresponds to min(TXOP, TMCSmin). TMCSmin is the duration of data transmission when applying the minimum MCS, and TXOP is the transmission opportunity.

[0060] This postponement is performed until the transmission of the data can be initiated in the expected blocked link at time t1 with a duration T1, and the transmission of the data in the non-blocked link 504 can be initiated at time t2 with a duration T2, where the time t2 is greater than t1, and the duration T2 is less than T1, and when t2 + T2 < t1 + T1. The transmission of the data in link 502 is completed using the minimum MCS, which can also be referred to as the low MCS. The transmission in the expected blocked link 502 has the advantage of attracting the reactive jammer, thus keeping its radio resources busy within at least the T1 time window, as Figure 5 shown by feature 536 in. Once the reactive jammer detects the ongoing transmission in link 502, the reactive jammer activates its interference shielding on link 502. Therefore, the attraction can be used as a protection time window during which the transmission can occur in link 504. For example, at least one critical URLLC data packet included in the data to be transmitted can be safely transmitted in link 504. The transmission in link 504 can also be completed using an appropriate MCS. For example, the data rate of the MCS of the second link can be higher than the data rate of the first link.

[0061] In this exemplary embodiment, the data to be transmitted in the expected blocking link 502 is the same data as the data to be transmitted in the non-blocking link 504, but the minimum MCS is used to maximize the probability of correct reception and allow combining techniques to be implemented on the receiving side. A listen-before-talk LBT portion 532 precedes the data transmission 534 in the link 502. A listen-before-talk LBT portion 542 also precedes the data transmission 544 in the link 504.

[0062] The selection of expected blocked links and non-blocked links can be performed jointly by the device 510. Once it is determined that data will be transmitted, the multi-link device 510 performs a check among all links and / or channels that it can address with its radio transmitter, which are the most suitable links and / or channels for completing the data transmission at that moment. When operating in an unlicensed spectrum, for example, if the clear channel assessment CCA process provides a positive result, the link and / or channel can be used, which corresponds to not listening to other ongoing transmissions within a time period determined by the random backoff counter. It should be noted that the device 510 can perform an independent CCA process for each link and / or channel that it is able to address, thereby obtaining an overview of the links that have a transmission opportunity TXOP or will soon obtain a transmission opportunity TXOP. It should also be noted that LBT can be understood as a mechanism by which the device can apply a clear channel assessment CCA before using the channel.

[0063] Among the links and / or channels that may be selected as non-blocking links, the device 510 maintains the best available links and / or channels, for example in terms of received signal strength, RSS, and bandwidth aggregation opportunities. The best RSS may be determined to indicate the highest probability of successfully receiving the transmitted data. Figure 6 An exemplary embodiment for selection based on bandwidth aggregation timing is shown. At time t0, the situation of different links is illustrated. There are idle links 610 and occupied links 620. A joint selection of expected blocked links 630 and non-blocked links 640 can be performed so that data expected to be transmitted on non-blocked links 640 can be transmitted over a wider spectrum, thereby allowing reduced occupancy of the wireless medium, which may correspond to keeping T2 small. At t1, the expected blocked link 630 obtains access to the channel and starts transmitting, and at t2, the non-blocked link 640 obtains access to the channel and starts transmitting. In this exemplary embodiment, the maximum bandwidth aggregation among the selected expected blocked links will be 40 MHz, while the selected non-blocking links can provide up to 80 MHz of bandwidth, resulting in reduced transmission delays.

[0064] Note that it may generally be necessary to verify two different aspects to jointly select one or more expected links and one or more non-blocking links. First, verify the RSS and bandwidth aggregation aspects as described above. Second, the expected duration of LBT in different links, which may correspond to the determination of t1 and t2, at which times transmission can start, is associated with the condition of ensuring that t2 + T2 < t1 + T1. The guarantee condition is a time-related guarantee condition and, as described above, can be t2 + T2 < t1 + T1.

[0065] Figure 7 An exemplary embodiment is shown in which the reactive jammer has two radio transmitters with which it can operate. The operation is represented by a dashed rectangle. In this exemplary embodiment, the transmission of data in the non-blocking link 704 can be initiated after the expected blocking links 702 and 706 are occupied, i.e., after time t1b, and the transmission can have a duration T2 < (t1a + T1a - t1b) to ensure a secure transmission. Before the data transmitted in each of the links 714, 724, and 734 are respectively LBT portions 712, 722, and 732.

[0066] Figure 8 An exemplary embodiment is shown that exploits an ongoing transmission that has attracted the reactive jammer and treats the link on which the transmission is ongoing as an expected blocking link. The attraction may be continuous or intentional or unintentional. In this exemplary embodiment, the device 510 exploits other ongoing transmissions performed by other devices. This can be achieved, for example, by decoding the expected transmission duration T1 on the expected blocking link 806 from the network allocation vector NAV and selecting a non-blocking link (in this example, 804) to ensure that the transmission initiated at t2 with a duration T2 is completed before the NAV of the expected blocking link 806 expires. Thus, in this exemplary embodiment, obtaining a first type of link (in this exemplary embodiment, an expected blocking link) can be understood as decoding the expected transmission duration T1 from the NAV. In Figure 8In the embodiment, link 802 is not used, but it should be noted that in some other exemplary embodiments, if the device 510 determines that the ongoing transmission in link 806 is not enough to attract all the radio resources of the reactive jammer, for example because the reactive jammer can transmit simultaneously in more than one link, then link 802 can be used as another expected blocking link. In this exemplary embodiment, the data 814 to be transmitted begins at time t2, and the duration of the transmission is T2. Before the transmission is initiated, LBT812 is performed. At time t1, there is an ongoing transmission 822 in link 806, and the duration of the transmission is T1. The activity of the reactive jammer is represented by a dotted rectangle. In this exemplary embodiment, there is an advantage that it is possible to avoid duplication of data packets contained in the data to be transmitted on multiple links, and thus the utilization of the wireless medium can be reduced. However, if it is determined that there is no other ongoing transmission in link 806, then in this exemplary embodiment, the device 510 can default to the method described in the aforementioned exemplary embodiment.

[0067] In another exemplary embodiment, a combination of the above exemplary embodiments may be utilized. For example, if a reactive jammer is able to transmit over the same number of links as a multi-link device, it may be determined that it is advantageous to utilize other ongoing transmissions that have kept portions of the jammer's radio resources busy.

[0068] Fig. 9 The apparatus 900 of the embodiment shows an example embodiment of an apparatus that can be an access node or included in an access node. The apparatus can be, for example, a circuit or a chipset suitable for use in an access node to implement the embodiments. The apparatus 900 can be an electronic device including one or more electronic circuits. The apparatus 900 may include a communication control circuit 910 such as at least one processor and at least one memory 920, the at least one memory 920 including computer program code (software) 922, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code (software) 922 are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus 900 to perform any one of the example embodiments of the access node described above.

[0069] The memory 920 may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based storage devices, flash memory, magnetic storage devices and systems, optical storage devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. The memory may include a configuration database for storing configuration data. For example, the configuration database may store a current neighbor cell list and, in some example embodiments, a structure of frames used in detected neighbor cells.

[0070] The apparatus 900 may also include a communication interface 930, which includes hardware and / or software for implementing a communication connection according to one or more communication protocols. The communication interface 930 may provide the apparatus with radio communication capabilities to communicate in a cellular communication system. The communication interface may, for example, provide a radio interface to a terminal device. The apparatus 900 may further include another interface toward a core network (e.g., a network coordinator device) and / or to an access node of a cellular communication system. The apparatus 900 may also include a scheduler 940 configured to allocate resources.

[0071] Fig.10 An apparatus 1000 according to an exemplary embodiment is shown, which may be, for example, an apparatus of a terminal device or an apparatus included in a terminal device. The apparatus 1000 includes a processor 1010. The processor 1010 interprets computer program instructions and processes data. The processor 1010 may include one or more programmable processors. The processor 1010 may include programmable hardware with embedded firmware, and may alternatively or additionally include one or more application specific integrated circuits ASICs.

[0072] The processor 1010 is coupled to the memory 1020. The processor is configured to read data from the memory 1020 and write data to the memory 1020. The memory 1020 may include one or more memory cells. The memory cells may be volatile or non-volatile. It should be noted that in some example embodiments, there may be one or more non-volatile memory cells and one or more volatile memory cells, or alternatively, there may be one or more non-volatile memory cells, or alternatively, there may be one or more volatile memory cells. The volatile memory may be, for example, a RAM, a DRAM, or an SDRAM. The non-volatile memory may be, for example, a ROM, a PROM, an EEPROM, a flash memory, an optical storage device, or a magnetic storage device. In general, the memory may be referred to as a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The memory 1020 stores computer-readable instructions executed by the processor 1010. For example, the non-volatile memory stores computer-readable instructions, and the processor 1010 executes the instructions using the volatile memory to temporarily store data and / or instructions.

[0073] The computer readable instructions may be pre-stored in the memory 1020, or alternatively or additionally, they may be received by the device via an electromagnetic carrier signal and / or may be copied from a physical entity such as a computer program product. Execution of the computer readable instructions causes the device 1000 to perform the functionality described above.

[0074] In the context of this document, a "memory" or "computer-readable medium" may be any non-transitory medium or component that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device (e.g., a computer).

[0075] The device 1000 further includes an input unit 1030 or is connected to the input unit 1030. The input unit 1030 includes one or more interfaces for receiving user input. The one or more interfaces may include, for example, one or more motion sensors and / or direction sensors, one or more cameras, one or more accelerometers, one or more microphones, one or more buttons, and one or more touch detection units. In addition, the input unit 1030 may include an interface to which an external device can be connected.

[0076] The device 1000 also includes an output unit 1040. The output unit includes or is connected to one or more displays capable of presenting visual content, such as a light emitting diode (LED) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), and a liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) display. The output unit 1040 may include two displays to present stereoscopic visual content. One display presents content to the left eye and the other display presents content to the right eye. The output unit 1040 may further include a transmission unit, such as one or more waveguides or one or more lenses, to transmit the presented visual content to the user's field of view. The output unit 1040 further includes one or more audio outputs. The one or more audio outputs may be, for example, a speaker or a set of headphones.

[0077] The device 1000 may further include a connection unit 1050. The connection unit 1050 enables wired and / or wireless connection to an external network. The connection unit 1050 may include one or more antennas and one or more receivers, which may be integrated into the device 1000 or the device 1000 may be connected to these antennas and receivers. The connection unit 1050 may include an integrated circuit or a set of integrated circuits that provide wireless communication capabilities for the device 1000. Alternatively, the wireless connection may be a hardwired application-specific integrated circuit ASIC.

[0078] It should be noted that the apparatus 1000 may further include Fig.10 Various components are not shown in the figure. The various components can be hardware components and / or software components.

[0079] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the examples according to the accompanying drawings, it is clear that the present invention is not limited thereto, but can be modified in several ways within the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, all words and expressions should be interpreted broadly, and they are intended to illustrate rather than limit the embodiments. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that, with the advancement of technology, the concept of the present invention can be implemented in various ways. In addition, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the embodiments can, but are not required to, be combined with other embodiments in various ways.

Claims

1. An apparatus for communication, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one memory comprising computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: Determining that interference may occur in a wireless network to which the apparatus is connected, wherein determining that interference may occur in the wireless network to which the apparatus is connected comprises: Detect jammers; Obtaining a first link of a first type, wherein the first type is an expected blocked link; obtaining a second link of a second type, wherein the second type is a non-blocking link; determining data to be transmitted to another device, the other device being connected to the wireless network; determining that transmission occurs in the first link; as well as The data is transmitted in the second link, wherein the transmission in the first link has a longer duration than the transmission of the data in the second link, and the transmission in the first link overlaps in time with the transmission of the data in the second link, wherein the transmission in the first link includes transmitting the data in the first link using a modulation and coding scheme, and the modulation and coding scheme has a lower data rate than the modulation and coding scheme of the second link, and wherein the transmission of the data in the second link is initiated while the transmission in the first link is in progress.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The apparatus operates in a multi-link mode, and the first link and the second link are part of the multi-link operation.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein transmitting the data in the second link completely overlaps the transmission in the first link.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein: Obtaining the first link and obtaining the second link are performed jointly.

5. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein: The first link and the second link are obtained based at least in part on received signal strength, bandwidth aggregation opportunities, and / or a guarantee condition associated with time.

6. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The transmission occurring in the first link is caused by a third device.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein: The device is further caused to obtain a duration of the transmission occurring in the first link caused by the third device, and determine a duration of transmitting the data in the second link based on the obtained duration of the transmission occurring in the first link.

8. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The apparatus is further caused to obtain at least one further link of the first type.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The apparatus is further caused to, upon determining that the jammer is capable of transmitting with a number of links higher than the determined number of links of the first type, obtain at least one additional link of the first type.

10. A method for communication, comprising: determining that interference may occur in a wireless network to which the apparatus is connected, wherein determining that interference may occur in the wireless network to which the apparatus is connected comprises: detecting a jammer; Obtaining a first link of a first type, wherein the first type is an expected blocked link; obtaining a second link of a second type, wherein the second type is a non-blocking link; determining data to be transmitted from the device to another device, the other device being connected to the wireless network; determining that transmission occurs in the first link; and The data is transmitted in the second link, wherein the transmission in the first link has a longer duration than the transmission of the data in the second link, and the transmission in the first link overlaps in time with the transmission of the data in the second link, wherein the transmission in the first link includes transmitting the data in the first link using a modulation and coding scheme, and the modulation and coding scheme has a lower data rate than the modulation and coding scheme of the second link, and wherein the transmission of the data in the second link is initiated while the transmission in the first link is in progress.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first link and the second link are obtained at least in part based on received signal strength, bandwidth aggregation opportunities, and / or a guarantee condition associated with time.

12. A computer program product readable by a computer and configured, when executed by the computer, to cause the computer to perform a computer process comprising: determining that interference may occur in a wireless network to which the apparatus is connected, wherein determining that interference may occur in the wireless network to which the apparatus is connected comprises: detecting a jammer; Obtaining a first link of a first type, wherein the first type is an expected blocked link; obtaining a second link of a second type, wherein the second type is a non-blocking link; determining data to be transmitted from the device to another device, the other device being connected to the wireless network; determining that transmission occurs in the first link; and The data is transmitted in the second link, wherein the transmission in the first link has a longer duration than the transmission of the data in the second link, and the transmission in the first link overlaps in time with the transmission of the data in the second link, wherein the transmission in the first link includes transmitting the data in the first link using a modulation and coding scheme, and the modulation and coding scheme has a lower data rate than the modulation and coding scheme of the second link, and wherein the transmission of the data in the second link is initiated while the transmission in the first link is in progress.

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